Nine Ten Never Sleep Again...
As more that 1.6 million people watched the trailer for the remake of ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ within the first 24 hours of it’s release, it would appear, despite a groaning backlash, that there are actually people out there who want to see it.
It’s a franchise no-one would have bet on being be resurrected but then it is the latest release from the Platinum Dunes team; who’ve had the dubious honour of producing the recent Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Amityville Horror and The Hitcher (does one detect a pattern?). And just to irk the purists further director Samuel Bayer, known predominantly for his work on commercials and music videos has been employed to slick up the proceedings a notch.
Yet again, using that unconvincing term ‘re-imagining’ (which means, we can mess about with it a bit and no-one can really complain) it’s hard to see how the very simple premise of the first film could be bettered. The main difference appears to be a filling out of Krugers paedophilic back story and a questioning of his motivations. Vilified as an out and out murderer in the original, in this he’s a school caretaker accused of molesting children. Ultimately released on a technicality, he’s then hunted down by vigilante parents and horribly burnt alive in a warehouse. Wes Anderson’s outing did hint at such but refrained from asking if he was wrongly accused or indeed vindicated in his revenge?
Stepping into Englunds monstrous shoes (or iconic striped jumper rather…that seems set to stay) Jackie Earle Hayley was recently seen as a lunatic in Scorsese’s Shutter Island. Making what seems to be a career out of playing damaged individuals, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of a child molester in Little Children but is probably most widely known for his enigmatic, melancholic turn as Rorschach in Zack Synders adaptation of the Watchmen.
There’s been much speculation over the disfigured dream stalkers makeup but a final full face shot has yet to be released. However it promises to recreate realistic burn scar tissue (albeit CGI tweaked) and the voice is said to reflect that of someone with damaged vocal cords.
Of course it can’t possibly live up to the impact of the first Wes Craven frightfest. But them we have become rather inured to gore and violence over the years. When that film was first released (in the halcyon days of the ‘video nasty’) people literally shit themselves, now when was the last time that you can remember doing the same?
The UK release date is 7th May 2010
It’s a franchise no-one would have bet on being be resurrected but then it is the latest release from the Platinum Dunes team; who’ve had the dubious honour of producing the recent Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Amityville Horror and The Hitcher (does one detect a pattern?). And just to irk the purists further director Samuel Bayer, known predominantly for his work on commercials and music videos has been employed to slick up the proceedings a notch.
Yet again, using that unconvincing term ‘re-imagining’ (which means, we can mess about with it a bit and no-one can really complain) it’s hard to see how the very simple premise of the first film could be bettered. The main difference appears to be a filling out of Krugers paedophilic back story and a questioning of his motivations. Vilified as an out and out murderer in the original, in this he’s a school caretaker accused of molesting children. Ultimately released on a technicality, he’s then hunted down by vigilante parents and horribly burnt alive in a warehouse. Wes Anderson’s outing did hint at such but refrained from asking if he was wrongly accused or indeed vindicated in his revenge?
Stepping into Englunds monstrous shoes (or iconic striped jumper rather…that seems set to stay) Jackie Earle Hayley was recently seen as a lunatic in Scorsese’s Shutter Island. Making what seems to be a career out of playing damaged individuals, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of a child molester in Little Children but is probably most widely known for his enigmatic, melancholic turn as Rorschach in Zack Synders adaptation of the Watchmen.
There’s been much speculation over the disfigured dream stalkers makeup but a final full face shot has yet to be released. However it promises to recreate realistic burn scar tissue (albeit CGI tweaked) and the voice is said to reflect that of someone with damaged vocal cords.
Of course it can’t possibly live up to the impact of the first Wes Craven frightfest. But them we have become rather inured to gore and violence over the years. When that film was first released (in the halcyon days of the ‘video nasty’) people literally shit themselves, now when was the last time that you can remember doing the same?
The UK release date is 7th May 2010
